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Tuesday, June 25, 2002
Well thank goodness the sun is shining in Cork today, or else I was gonna just turn right around and head back to Stockholm. What an amazing time I had during my last weekend in Sweden, out at the Melander's beautiful summer home on the archipelago... Kayaking, fishing ("Marcus, I can SEE that there aren't any fish in this water. If there were fish, I'd reach in and grab one.") decorating ourselves with birch branches (and other fun tricks with branches) and dancing around the may-pole... Sauna every night (the real kind, with wood chopped by the manly men)(Elin) and we'd stay in there until it was SO hot that we just couldn't take it any more, and then run out of the sauna, across the landing, and into the sea! And with a bit of luck, or patience, our little show would be timed with the innocent passing of some lucky sailboat--[running, screaming, "Strike a pose!!" splooosh!]
The house was perfect. Equipped with everything you'd need to have fun. I'd personally recommend the outhouse (the precise pinnacle of peace in this world, I'm convinced). The house has one big room for cooking, eating, drinking, playing yatzee, waltzing (thank you Jonas!), or practicing on your dulcimer and/or nyckelharpa, and then the upstairs is two lofts on either side, lacking exactly one ladder (but so long as mobile phones can fly, we're not missing anything). We'll see if Björn and Christina go for my idea of the Tarzan-style swinging vine to get from loft to loft.
Having to leave this archipelagic paradise was kind of sad, but an excellent consolation prize was getting to meet Elin's WHOLE family the next day. Some of the brightest nephews I've ever met! And by bright I mean that they're really smart, and also that if the sun were shining at just the right angle, they could easily blind you with their super-blond hair! And if that didn't get ya, they'd kick your butt in Kubb anyhow. (*remember to ask me about Kubb later.) Elin and I got to play together one last time before parting for what could be a pretty dern long time. There are some ideas about next summer, but it's too hard to tell for sure when or where we'll be together again. Pretty sad stuff, in my opinion, especially since we were JUST starting to get a grasp on that Telemann canon. But at least we know that we had ridiculous amounts of fun together, and my dulcimer will never forget the tunes learned from her nyckelharpa. I also need to remember my appointment for June 21, 2003 at that helicopter landing spot, 3pm. That guy sounded pretty serious about that.
;)
Back in Cork now, spending a bit of time with Tom's wonderful family (oh I SO did NOT offer them tea, did I? Duh, Christie. Duh.)... More Kubb in the sunshine (could be the next new craze in Cork!) with some great hits from Tom, and some amazing misses as well! Also trying to work on a resume (gee, I guess I DO have something to show for all of this time on Earth) and trying not to die from inhaling all the paint fumes at the house. Well, it LOOKS better now, but smells much worse. Let's just hope the sun stays around so I won't have to be inside too much.... And maybe I'll get to keep this wonderful Swedish tan!!
The house was perfect. Equipped with everything you'd need to have fun. I'd personally recommend the outhouse (the precise pinnacle of peace in this world, I'm convinced). The house has one big room for cooking, eating, drinking, playing yatzee, waltzing (thank you Jonas!), or practicing on your dulcimer and/or nyckelharpa, and then the upstairs is two lofts on either side, lacking exactly one ladder (but so long as mobile phones can fly, we're not missing anything). We'll see if Björn and Christina go for my idea of the Tarzan-style swinging vine to get from loft to loft.
Having to leave this archipelagic paradise was kind of sad, but an excellent consolation prize was getting to meet Elin's WHOLE family the next day. Some of the brightest nephews I've ever met! And by bright I mean that they're really smart, and also that if the sun were shining at just the right angle, they could easily blind you with their super-blond hair! And if that didn't get ya, they'd kick your butt in Kubb anyhow. (*remember to ask me about Kubb later.) Elin and I got to play together one last time before parting for what could be a pretty dern long time. There are some ideas about next summer, but it's too hard to tell for sure when or where we'll be together again. Pretty sad stuff, in my opinion, especially since we were JUST starting to get a grasp on that Telemann canon. But at least we know that we had ridiculous amounts of fun together, and my dulcimer will never forget the tunes learned from her nyckelharpa. I also need to remember my appointment for June 21, 2003 at that helicopter landing spot, 3pm. That guy sounded pretty serious about that.
;)
Back in Cork now, spending a bit of time with Tom's wonderful family (oh I SO did NOT offer them tea, did I? Duh, Christie. Duh.)... More Kubb in the sunshine (could be the next new craze in Cork!) with some great hits from Tom, and some amazing misses as well! Also trying to work on a resume (gee, I guess I DO have something to show for all of this time on Earth) and trying not to die from inhaling all the paint fumes at the house. Well, it LOOKS better now, but smells much worse. Let's just hope the sun stays around so I won't have to be inside too much.... And maybe I'll get to keep this wonderful Swedish tan!!
Wednesday, June 19, 2002
How come no one ever told me that Stockholm is the most beautiful city in the world? I've been having an amazing time here... From an all-you-can-eat shrimp cruise around the archipelago, to a nyckelharpa festival, to a midnight skinny dip in the Baltic (the view from the bus was spectacular! Or to Tom, just spectacle), to checking out the whole city from the top of the city hall tower (and a triumphant battle of good vs. evil), to professional picnicking (where do we sign up for that course?), to an afternoon of sailing and sunburn, and soon off to Jonas's newly-built summer home (I sure hope we bought enough to drink, er, I mean, eat). Well, if we run out of beer, we've always got that tube that Jonas insisted on buying. Such extravagance, Jonas! Me, I'm gonna take care of this mild sunburn and then run outside and try to get a little more to take back to Cork with me.
Tuesday, June 11, 2002
Waaahoooooo!!! I'm up!! Where are you?
